There have been a number of proposals in the art for marketing granular detergent and other laundry compositions in packages, each of which contain a suitable amount of the composition for a single wash under conventional conditions. These proposals include using closed sachets or bags of water-soluble film-forming materials such as polyvinyalcohol and methyl cellulose; and also water-insoluble but water-permeable materials such as paper and woven or non-woven fabrics. The latter approach in particular has a number of attractions; for example, it ensures that the detergent ingredients are released directly into the wash liquor in close proximity to the wash load; it avoids loss of detergent within the dispenser and sump of the washing machine; and it provides for greater convenience in use. Despite the technical and consumer advantages, however, packages of this type have not been commercially successful, a major problem being the difficulty in making products strong enough for satisfactory transport and storage properties while permitting the contents to disperse and dissolve in the wash liquor very quickly without leaving residues in the sachet or bag under all possible conditions of use, inclusive of short wash times, high fabric load and low wash liquor volumes.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a laundry product containing pre-measured amounts of laundry actives in a convenient sachet or pouch-form having acceptable storage characteristics as well as excellent product dissolution characteristics under typical European and U.S. laundering conditions.